I was at Goodyear in '65, and as I recall, the Goodyear guys were completely out of standard race tires after they were deemed faulty and the Fords were history.. All that was left were rain tires, and that's what the winning Gregory/Rindt car rolled on to victory. Very, very unusual LeMans.
"it looked like a little warrior" Given the car's history, that's probably the truest description anyone could ever come up with, and probably the best complement! Thanks for the video.
Great comment! That was the highlight of this video for me, too. My two favorite moments as a spectator of racing are my first NASCAR event (the thunder), and the first time I heard a Honda race bike scorching the air at 15k rpm. The sound of race machines just vibrates you from your brain, down to your taint, and there is nothing like it. Quite literally, nothing like it. (oooo! forgot my first NHRA event 😅)
This was truly a golden era of race car design and driver personality. I was astounded to learn of the basic engineering errors made in the development of the early GT 40's and at Goodyear. The road to victory is long and twisted and full of hard lessons. It was a world of Shelby, Ferrari, Chapman, Gurney, Clark and old Graham Hill. These cars are over 50 years old and they still have the power to thrill us. Thank you for a great story.
Ficarra is a great story teller. I'm an old guy, and I remember, when I was a kid, listening to old timers, many, who were born in the late 1800's, tell stories. Ficarra's storytelling style reminded me of their "Old School" storytelling. Storytelling was an important art in the olden days, because there wasn't any TV, radio, Internet, or any other "On Demand" entertainment. People would actually ask good story tellers to tell them the story, even when they'd already heard it a half dozen times over the years. My grandfather was in the Spanish American War in Cuba, and My dad remembered people coming up to Grandfather Vance in the 1930's and asking him, "Tell us about Cuba again Vance!". Storytelling was an integral part of entertainment back then. Like many talents, you either have it, or you don't. There may be many potentially great storytellers out there, but in the last 50 years, people are so busy thinking about what else; they could be doing, that they don't have the patience to sit down and listen, instead exclaiming, "Get to the point", "I've already heard this", or "I don't have time", so the demand for great storytelling, at least at the family and friends level, went away. In the old days, everyone had at least one good storyteller in their clique.
Well listen to more vinwiki stores on youtube then you can have him tell you stories for as long as you want him to not entirely sure if he is the one who tells the stories since this is the first time I've listened to a vin wiki story/vid clip 🤔..!?!?!?
@@sparky6086It must be in your blood, being a good storyteller requires engaging words and sentence structure. I enjoyed the small story you shared! My great grandfather was also a storyteller, and I loved it so much.
@@TheSixStringGuy you expected a documentary and instead ended up watching a movie. For me it was a fantastic, fun to watch, informative movie with great acting. The general public got an idea of what happened, which was the whole point of the movie. It's a bunch of child-men driving around in expensive cars nobody can afford after all ;-)
I grew up listening to the story of this car and that race because Masten was my grandfather’s brother. The entire video I got to relive story time with grandpa and I loved it. Thanks @VINwiki for producing this one!
Brett Bilger Wouldn't be so bad if he told the story the way it actually happened, 1) Ford demanded that he put ford engines in the Ferrari's for racing, hence the reason Ferrari told Ford to stick his buy out deal, 2) it was New Zealander. and British WORLD Champion race car drivers that started to get the G.T.40 Ford, it's wins, British Ken Miles for one, and both the cars your talking about IE:- Cobra = British A.C. ACECA, and the G.T.40 = a British Lola N.K.6, now with the money Ford had how come he didn't detail his workers of to design and build an all American car,?? And before anyone writes in and try's to tell me it was because us Brits can't make a decent race car engine, then how come it's the Brits that build 99% of your Indy race car engines, and chassis for same.???? And that rank amateur rally driver Ken Block-head had to buy a British Escort Cosworth and get an British company to build a competitive engine for it,?? Not that it made any difference he spends most of the races stuffed into a hedge or the car on its roof
I was stationed (Navy) in Naples, Italy in 1974-6. A 2nd Lieutenant got an early discharge unexpectedly and had only a few days to pack and ship out. He had been a race car enthusiast. His pride and joy was his 1967 Dino Ferrari. For some reason ( I never found out why) he decided NOT to keep the car. He was in a big rush to sell it. At the time I had only $1500 cash so I offered to buy the car. To my surprise and delight he accepted my offer. I have never owned such a fantastic car. It had a 2.0 V6 engine with 3 duel Weber carbs (1969-73 had a 2.4L) The motor sounded like a small jet engine with that high pitched whine. I would routinely drive it on the weekend 200km (120 miles) from Naples to Rome on the autostrada (freeway) in about 1 hour!!! I could cruise at 120-30mph all day long in that rocket without a strain from that wonderful engine. The max. speed was said to be 145mph. I once got mine to 140mph before backing off. The only "problem" was it ran on premium91+ gas and at over 100mph would only get 10mpg. When it came time for me to return to the USA the gas shortage had happened with folks waiting in line at the pumps. Stupidly, I decided that the car would be empractible to own and so I sold it before returning. Now they are collectors cars (if you can find one) starting at $100,000 in poor condition and going up from there. It had features that were decades ahead of it's time like a 2nd backup ignition module, auto engine kill if oil preasure dropped or coolant was lost, hand crank for the electric windows if the battery went dead. It even had a small backup battery to crank the engine if the main battery died. Around town I only used 1st+2nd gear (5speed manual) as 1st went to 45mph.
@@Vampirebear13 Typically the reason they say "based on a true story" is not because they embellish it a lot, but because they want to protect themselves from a lawsuit of defamation or slander if the story in any way negatively portraits someone who could sue the producers. If they say it's based on a true story, it's sufficient ambiguity to hide behind so that any negative portrayal is hidden behind "this is a work of fiction", even if it's 100% totally accurate.
What an amazing story and storyteller!! Gave me chills when he told of starting it up again! Hard to imagine just how hard it is on cars and drivers to race for 24hrs straight! At any time but especially in the 60s.
Seriously, a 20 min video these videos are long enough as it is let alone a 20 min video and YES I'm a diehard vehicle loyalist FORD IS MY FAVORITE COMPANY and if I had noticed that car was running on formula 1 tires I'd have been BEYOND PISSED IF THAT WAS ME WHO NOTICED THAT I'D KNOW FOR SURE MY WHOLE CAREER WAS DOWN THE DRAIN,IF I WAS THE GUY WHO BROUGHT ALL THOSE TIRES OVER TO LEMANS 😤🤬..!!
VINwiki Best “historical” type car story I’ve heard in a loooong time. Goofy weird personal experiences are fun but keeping these stories alive is so important. Good work!
Wow. One of the best stories I've ever heard anywhere. It's a video you don't pause while you watch it and you're sitting on the edge of your seat listening to the story. A "THANK YOU" is not enough but THANK YOU!
Fascinating. It so happens that during the 1964/65 school year I was an exchange student at Lycée Jean Charcot in St Servan (St Malo) and I got to go to this race. In fact, it's the only full-fledged auto race I have ever attended. I had fun overnight wandering around behind the pits talking with people and trying to pick up girls (fail). Eventually, I worked my way around to the Ford HQ pit. I introduced myself to the security guard at the bottom of the steps leading up to the 'luxury' box above the pit area. He was an American from the Midwest somewhere, and when I said I was an exchange student he immediately asked me if I could speak French, which I could quite well by that time. He gave me some guy's name and told me to introduce myself and say I could speak French. So I went up, found the guy, who was kind of frazzled (it was about 3AM and he was really wasted-- there was a full bar). Immediately I was pressed into service translating for some French businessmen and the Ford dudes. I did this for several hours, until after dawn. Meanwhile, I had a huge meal of French and American delicacies and tons to drink, which made my French more colorful. What stick in my mind almost 60 years later are the five or six really, really beautiful girls hanging around, completely bored out of their brains. They were there for the entertainment of the Ford execs, but even I could tell something was amiss, and the last thing those guys were interested in was playing around with young ladies. One of them even put a move on me, which the sixteen year old me thought was amusing, but also threatening, and I didn't get involved. Finally a Ford person who spoke decent French showed and I was released.
Ficarra is a great story teller. I'm an old guy, and I remember, when I was a kid, listening to old timers, many, who were born in the late 1800's, tell stories. Ficarra's storytelling style reminded me of their "Old School" storytelling. Storytelling was an important art in the olden days, because there wasn't any TV, radio, Internet, or any other "On Demand" entertainment. People would actually ask good story tellers to tell them the story, even when they'd already heard it a half dozen times over the years. My grandfather was in the Spanish American War in Cuba, and My dad remembered people coming up to Grandfather Vance in the 1930's and asking him, "Tell us about Cuba again Vance!". Storytelling was an integral part of entertainment back then. Like many talents, you either have it, or you don't. There may be many potentially great storytellers out there, but in the last 50 years, people are so busy thinking about what else; they could be doing, that they don't have the patience to sit down and listen, instead exclaiming, "Get to the point", "I've already heard this", or "I don't have time", so the demand for great storytelling, at least at the family and friends level, went away. In the old days, everyone had at least one good storyteller in their clique.
Mid 60's LeMans stories keep coming. This period of racing was so fascinating and fun, so much less organized than the tightly managed events today, and way more characters in play. I think one of the great things about endurance racing, and Le Mans specifically, is the ability of a car to finish and how that effects the racing. Hats of to John, I've been a racing fan since I was a kid in the 60's and so glad he has interest and knowledge of racing at that time. HIs Whittington Bros story was what got me hooked on VINwiki!
Ed, Rabbit and Ficarra. Dead heat at the top. They all tell great, great stories. Thanks VINwiki for all the excellent slices of car history. Y'all rock.
Ficarra is a great story teller. I'm an old guy, and I remember, when I was a kid, listening to old timers, many, who were born in the late 1800's, tell stories. Ficarra's storytelling style reminded me of their "Old School" storytelling. Storytelling was an important art in the olden days, because there wasn't any TV, radio, Internet, or any other "On Demand" entertainment. People would actually ask good story tellers to tell them the story, even when they'd already heard it a half dozen times over the years. My grandfather was in the Spanish American War in Cuba, and My dad remembered people coming up to Grandfather Vance in the 1930's and asking him, "Tell us about Cuba again Vance!". Storytelling was an integral part of entertainment back then. Like many talents, you either have it, or you don't. There may be many potentially great storytellers out there, but in the last 50 years, people are so busy thinking about what else; they could be doing, that they don't have the patience to sit down and listen, instead exclaiming, "Get to the point", "I've already heard this", or "I don't have time", so the demand for great storytelling, at least at the family and friends level, went away. In the old days, everyone had at least one good storyteller in their clique.
This was best ever....my lunch at work...opened TH-cam and saw the name of video. WHOA...Could almost feel the heat off the screen and smell of gas with hot rubber...Thank you guys for what you do , this was a historic tale to share. Now I'll forward it to all my gear head friends because they have to see it
Same reason drama classes weren't taught by major Broadway Tony winning actors. There just aren't enough excellent people to lead all of our classrooms. Just the way the world works. Same reason bureaucracies always suck. Not enough smart passionate people in the world. Mostly drones just trying to get along ...
This may be the best episode you have ever done. Definitely the best I have seen. An interesting story told in a great fashion. Not some braggart talking about their own acquisitions. Bravo.
ATS did indeed produce a cute little car. It was one of the first mid-engine sportscars, with a bespoke 2.5 litre V-8 in front of the rear axle. Coachwork was built by Allemano and designed by Franco Scaglione, who later designed the almost impossibly beautiful Alfa-Romeo 33 Stradale. ATS also produced a Formula 1 car which, sadly, was not successful. Only 12 ATS 2500 GTs were made before production stopped, and are rather pricey on the rare occasions when they come up at auction. In spite of the F1 project's failure, the 2500 GT is a well-regarded little car. I wouldn't mind having one at all. Thank you for this excellent video, it's quite a story.
I just love, love, love this story. There's virtually no way to discover and uncover all the details that make up this story during a typical internet search - you'd almost have to know what happened before you could search for the facts again. Sure, parts of this story exist as discrete stories, but when you put it all together like John has, it truly adds so much colorful context to the Ford vs Ferrari saga. It even prompted me to do some research on this car's racing record, which was a little better, in my opinion, than John implied. It may have been an underdog and not meant to be a front running car, but I'd say it had a very respectable career racing record, even aside from the overall win at Le Mans. It was only raced 6 times, and only at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona. Most other 250 LMs were entered in less prestigious races and had shorter careers, but this particular Ferrari was still racing in 1969 (8th that year at Le Mans) and 1970 (7th that year at Daytona). Sure, it never placed in the top 3 again after that win in 1965, but for a 4+ year old car to post 7th and 8th places finishes in the greatest endurance races in the world is testament to just how special this particular chassis number was. And John is such a great story teller. I find myself often putting this story on as I'm driving back to the North Bay from Tahoe on Sunday evenings. I don't know why I put it on at night, and why I only do it when I'm coming home, but I never get tired of hearing this story. Thanks for such a great story - keep 'em coming!
I'm doing a painting of that very car at that very race. Your video will help me put the emotion of the event into the finished piece. Thanks for the inspiration.
Then fast forward to 2023 and Ferrari won Le Man in the Ferrari 499P. 50 years after their last win. It was also the 100th running of the race. what a moment in motorsport history. Just like this amazing story. thank you for sharing it.
This has to be THE BEST Le Mans story told, and its all due to Mr Ficarra's descriptive & masterful eloquent story-telling. His enthusiasm and passion for automotive sport history is a true credit to your team. Will happily listen to this guy talk about anything. Id listen to him describe a dentist performing a root canal. Love seeing this quality of story-telling and factual automotive history narration. John, PLEASE do an audiobook about moments in auto racing history. Love your form mate! 🤙💯 Bloody beautiful low-down on LM shenanigans. Best vid I've seen in months. Vin Wiki, you've just won a new subscriber. Keep it coming 👌🏼
I think these stories should always be told by people that love cars as much as this gentleman does. It adds something to it, something intangible but so powerful, so compelling.
I can't believe Ficarra "casually" just gave a historical lecture of Ferrari's last Le Mans win with his Bingo hat, t-shirt, shorts and Chuck Taylor sneakers. Vinwiki, good job getting John, don't let him go!
@@8kigana No problem. Sorry to be nitpicky. It's the engineer in me. Ficarra is a great story teller. I'm an old guy, and I remember, when I was a kid, listening to old timers, many, who were born in the late 1800's, tell stories. Ficarra's storytelling style reminded me of their "Old School" storytelling. Storytelling was an important art in the olden days, because there wasn't any TV, radio, Internet, or any other "On Demand" entertainment. People would actually ask good story tellers to tell them the story, even when they'd already heard it a half dozen times over the years. My grandfather was in the Spanish American War in Cuba, and My dad remembered people coming up to Grandfather Vance in the 1930's and asking him, "Tell us about Cuba again Vance!". Storytelling was an integral part of entertainment back then. Like many talents, you either have it, or you don't. There may be many potentially great storytellers out there, but in the last 50 years, people are so busy thinking about what else; they could be doing, that they don't have the patience to sit down and listen, instead exclaiming, "Get to the point", "I've already heard this", or "I don't have time", so the demand for great storytelling, at least at the family and friends level, went away. In the old days, everyone had at least one good storyteller in their clique.
@@sparky6086 🤦🏽♂️ glad you caught that, I appreciate people calling me on my mistakes rather than finding out later and wondering why nobody noticed. Good points on story telling. By the way ,I had a pair of Taylors as a kid in the 70's , I must have liked watching The Rifleman over my shoes 😉, have a great weekend sir.
Haha! I saw the NART 250LM at the Indy 500 museum in the early 90s! I was floored since I had never seen one in real life before but had fallen in love with the design from my 1/25 scale diecast version.. So glad to hear it's been restored!
One of the best car stories that I have ever heard. The description of the race and its behind the scenes rivalries to the engine firing up after decades of sitting unused captured my attention and made me yearn to hear that engine come to life once again.
I had to add one more comment- your description of the Ferrari's V-12 firing up in the shop for the first time in decades was awesome and somehow very moving. That must've been a breathtaking moment. It's good to see the car getting the love it deserves after all this time.
Now that's a story (or several super cool ones within one). Far better than the "I found some clothes in my truck once, so here's some total guesses on how that happened, lol" one the other day, it has to be said.
Great story! Been watching VINwiki daily since the beginning and I was getting a little worried with some of the latest stories in that maybe the barrel was getting scraped, but you've brought it back again with this one, we need more from John!!
Best Wiki ever.Thank you. LeMans fans should look up Duncan Hamiltons story. Hamilton famously won the 1953 event in a Jaguar C-Type shared with Rolt. Initially, the pairing were disqualified for practising in a Jaguar that had the same racing number as another on the circuit at the same time, but they were reinstated. Hamilton's account has become a motor racing legend: when Jaguar team manager Lofty England persuaded the organisers to let them race, both drivers were already drunk in a local bar. England said: ”Of course I would never have let them race under the influence. I had enough trouble when they were sober!” When the race was under way the team tried to sober Hamilton up by giving him coffee during the pit stops but he refused it, saying it made his arms twitch; instead he was given brandy. The alcohol must have helped when he struck a bird face first at 130 mph and broke his nose. It is wonder how the pair managed to drive at all but more wondrous still is that the pair won. What’s more, they recorded the first 100 mph average speed at Le Mans, winning at a record pace! Both England and Rolt have denied that they were drunk. The ’53 Le Mans story did not end there, as Hamilton drove to Oporto to prepare for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Held on the Circuito da Boavista, he was leading into the first corner of the race, when he crashed his Jaguar, heavily into an electricity pylon. The Jaguar cartwheeled, throwing him out of the car and into a tree. He hung there for about a minute, before falling down on the side of the circuit. Barely conscious, he moved his legs just as a Ferrari raced by, nearly taking Hamilton’s left boot with it! He had to be taken to hospital for an emergency operation. The medical facilities did not extend to anaesthetic, and as the surgeon leant over him, Duncan was mesmerised by the increasing length of cigarette ash, as it hovered above his open chest cavity. The accident cut off the power supply to Oporto for several hours. On one occasion in 1947, he was transporting his MG R-type to the Brighton Speed Trials, when going down a hill near Guildford, he ”saw the splendid honeycomb radiator of a Bugatti in the outside rear-view mirror” , so he moved over and waved it past. But the car hung back. Further down the hill, the Bugatti accelerated and drew level with Hamilton, at which point he saw there was no one in it: ”The awful truth dawned on me - it was my own car, gathering speed fast.” Duncan had forgotten he was towing the Bugatti, and the story ends with a lamppost snapped in two. Hamilton was the epitome of the old school English competitor. He, and many of his contemporaries, such as Hawthorn, Rolt and Peter Collins, raced first and foremost for the love of the sport. True gentlemen drivers, their preparation and training consisted largely of wine, women and song.
Your enthusiasm when you made the sound of the engine snarling back to life, I connected with that. I love it when cars sound as visceral as the old race cars.
This guy is a close 2nd to Rabbit as my favorite. This is a video I will watch over and over again, I love 250 LMs anyway, but this really did it for me
As long time racing fan, it’s hard for me to believe that this story hasn’t come out much sooner. This is certainly one of the greatest racing stories I’ve ever heard, and beautifully told as well. Thanks very much!
This dude...IS SOLID! I cant even IMAGINE how he knows.. or the depth of what he knows... I just know he was at CANEPA, thats enough for me, *drools* over 959.
This was the coolest VINwiki video I have ever seen. The gentleman's storytelling style was superb and a true joy to listen to. Thanks for the video, entertainment and education as I wasn't born until 1966.
Clicked on this thinking I wouldn't give a crap. Hung on every last word. Great storytelling!!! When someone really knows and loves their history, you're in a for a treat!
Just found this channel about a week ago with John telling the Top Gear story. Since then I have watched hundreds of your videos. This is an awesome channel with some awesome car guys. 👍
This guy is a gift to motorsports history. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable on the subject and have been following F1 and LeMans since the early 60's. I even flew to France in 1971 to see the Monaco Grand Prix, but I had never heard this story before. I just subscribed. Thank you, sir, for a fascinating story.
After listening to this story for the third time, I’m confident that VinWiki could be a top-of-the-charts podcast.
yeah all of these should be on apple podcasts
AM G haha, I just realized what I typed, I got no idea what I meant by that
AM G exactly
100% agree
Kyl vaa
I was at Goodyear in '65, and as I recall, the Goodyear guys were completely out of standard race tires after they were deemed faulty and the Fords were history.. All that was left were rain tires, and that's what the winning Gregory/Rindt car rolled on to victory. Very, very unusual LeMans.
Wooow you were there 😲
How old are you?
Thats awesome! Did the movie get the feeling of the times correct?
But then it was Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt.
I'm curious too how old are you
"it looked like a little warrior"
Given the car's history, that's probably the truest description anyone could ever come up with, and probably the best complement!
Thanks for the video.
Ugh. I could listen to this story forever. Thank you so much…
exactly. perfectly told. goosebump ending. little Hercules starting up again.
When he described the engine starting up, it gave me chills.
Yeah, you could imagine just what it sounded like because he imitated it so well.
Same...
la sinfonia del scuderia
He makes it sound like an angry little terrier Which it was.
Sameee
You can literally hear the reverence for that car in his voice when he's describing it start. That's awesome!
Especially the scream
Great comment! That was the highlight of this video for me, too. My two favorite moments as a spectator of racing are my first NASCAR event (the thunder), and the first time I heard a Honda race bike scorching the air at 15k rpm. The sound of race machines just vibrates you from your brain, down to your taint, and there is nothing like it. Quite literally, nothing like it.
(oooo! forgot my first NHRA event 😅)
This is honestly great... no CrAzY dramatic music.... no loud voice over. Just a guy telling a great car story like a normal conversation.
Great story.
This was truly a golden era of race car design and driver personality. I was astounded to learn of the basic engineering errors made in the development of the early GT 40's and at Goodyear. The road to victory is long and twisted and full of hard lessons. It was a world of Shelby, Ferrari, Chapman, Gurney, Clark and old Graham Hill. These cars are over 50 years old and they still have the power to thrill us. Thank you for a great story.
i want this guy to just sit and tell me stories all day
Ficarra is a great story teller. I'm an old guy, and I remember, when I was a kid, listening to old timers, many, who were born in the late 1800's, tell stories. Ficarra's storytelling style reminded me of their "Old School" storytelling. Storytelling was an important art in the olden days, because there wasn't any TV, radio, Internet, or any other "On Demand" entertainment. People would actually ask good story tellers to tell them the story, even when they'd already heard it a half dozen times over the years. My grandfather was in the Spanish American War in Cuba, and My dad remembered people coming up to Grandfather Vance in the 1930's and asking him, "Tell us about Cuba again Vance!". Storytelling was an integral part of entertainment back then. Like many talents, you either have it, or you don't. There may be many potentially great storytellers out there, but in the last 50 years, people are so busy thinking about what else; they could be doing, that they don't have the patience to sit down and listen, instead exclaiming, "Get to the point", "I've already heard this", or "I don't have time", so the demand for great storytelling, at least at the family and friends level, went away. In the old days, everyone had at least one good storyteller in their clique.
Well listen to more vinwiki stores on youtube then you can have him tell you stories for as long as you want him to not entirely sure if he is the one who tells the stories since this is the first time I've listened to a vin wiki story/vid clip 🤔..!?!?!?
Find something to do
@@sparky6086It must be in your blood, being a good storyteller requires engaging words and sentence structure. I enjoyed the small story you shared! My great grandfather was also a storyteller, and I loved it so much.
This guy is proof of never judge a book by its cover. He's a great storyteller and this was an awesome story. The details he knew were amazing
I didn't know sex icons where considered bad story tellers.
MR SLAVE
John ficarra is a great addition to the storytelling team. Thanks for another great story!
He's my favourite since the Whitworth Bros episode. More of him please!
@@MisterBibbles .... Whittington Brothers ?......
@@TheWilferch that sounds more correct my bad. Haha
@@MisterBibbles ....no harm / no foul......Quite a story those brothers.....
@@MisterBibbles Same
Just watched Ford Vs. Ferrari, cool to see this after the fact.
No... the movie is nice , but historically not correct in many things.
Yeah that movie is a whole load of bullshit.
The movie is the Hollywood version
That movie was cash grab garbage. I hate when movies steer away from truth.
@@TheSixStringGuy you expected a documentary and instead ended up watching a movie. For me it was a fantastic, fun to watch, informative movie with great acting. The general public got an idea of what happened, which was the whole point of the movie. It's a bunch of child-men driving around in expensive cars nobody can afford after all ;-)
I grew up listening to the story of this car and that race because Masten was my grandfather’s brother. The entire video I got to relive story time with grandpa and I loved it. Thanks @VINwiki for producing this one!
Noggles10 was he accurate?
Music Islife very much so!
Noggles10 fantastic :)
I just subscribed because of the fantastic way the story was told. You were very lucky to have that history relayed to you by family members.
Despite my griping about Italian mispronunciation, I thank you very much for putting this video out for us. I did not know this story at all!
Wow. You know you’re watching a great video, when the storyteller makes a 20 minute video feel like a minute.
Yeah, but he...loves bingo. 🙄
No doubt!
a metric minute...
I love the way this guy tells stories.
Brett Bilger Yeah, totally agree. Had a big smile on me the whole story.
Brett Bilger
Wouldn't be so bad if he told the story the way it actually happened, 1) Ford demanded that he put ford engines in the Ferrari's for racing, hence the reason Ferrari told Ford to stick his buy out deal, 2) it was New Zealander. and British WORLD Champion race car drivers that started to get the G.T.40 Ford, it's wins, British Ken Miles for one, and both the cars your talking about IE:- Cobra = British A.C. ACECA, and the G.T.40 = a British Lola N.K.6, now with the money Ford had how come he didn't detail his workers of to design and build an all American car,?? And before anyone writes in and try's to tell me it was because us Brits can't make a decent race car engine, then how come it's the Brits that build 99% of your Indy race car engines, and chassis for same.???? And that rank amateur rally driver Ken Block-head had to buy a British Escort Cosworth and get an British company to build a competitive engine for it,?? Not that it made any difference he spends most of the races stuffed into a hedge or the car on its roof
@@rogerhearn7109 Oh yeah OK so it was just British all the way?
George Lucas
Try reading some true history sometimes, ALL those Facts are the truth, I'm old enough to remember that's why I wrote them
AGREED
I was stationed (Navy) in Naples, Italy in 1974-6. A 2nd Lieutenant got an early discharge unexpectedly and had only a few days to pack and ship out. He had been a race car enthusiast. His pride and joy was his 1967 Dino Ferrari. For some reason ( I never found out why) he decided NOT to keep the car. He was in a big rush to sell it. At the time I had only $1500 cash so I offered to buy the car. To my surprise and delight he accepted my offer. I have never owned such a fantastic car. It had a 2.0 V6 engine with 3 duel Weber carbs (1969-73 had a 2.4L) The motor sounded like a small jet engine with that high pitched whine. I would routinely drive it on the weekend 200km (120 miles) from Naples to Rome on the autostrada (freeway) in about 1 hour!!! I could cruise at 120-30mph all day long in that rocket without a strain from that wonderful engine. The max. speed was said to be 145mph. I once got mine to 140mph before backing off. The only "problem" was it ran on premium91+ gas and at over 100mph would only get 10mpg. When it came time for me to return to the USA the gas shortage had happened with folks waiting in line at the pumps. Stupidly, I decided that the car would be empractible to own and so I sold it before returning. Now they are collectors cars (if you can find one) starting at $100,000 in poor condition and going up from there. It had features that were decades ahead of it's time like a 2nd backup ignition module, auto engine kill if oil preasure dropped or coolant was lost, hand crank for the electric windows if the battery went dead. It even had a small backup battery to crank the engine if the main battery died. Around town I only used 1st+2nd gear (5speed manual) as 1st went to 45mph.
So many awesome twists in this one. Thanks for sharing John!
I was thinking the exact same thing they could make a movie out of this
703 CRUIZ'N
I think they are making a movie about this, I think it’s called Ford V Ferrari or something
The new movie is %80 made up bullshit, that's why they say "based on a true story".
@@Vampirebear13 they need to please stupid ameritards to sell that shit
@@Vampirebear13 Typically the reason they say "based on a true story" is not because they embellish it a lot, but because they want to protect themselves from a lawsuit of defamation or slander if the story in any way negatively portraits someone who could sue the producers. If they say it's based on a true story, it's sufficient ambiguity to hide behind so that any negative portrayal is hidden behind "this is a work of fiction", even if it's 100% totally accurate.
What an amazing story and storyteller!! Gave me chills when he told of starting it up again!
Hard to imagine just how hard it is on cars and drivers to race for 24hrs straight! At any time but especially in the 60s.
A 20 minute video from vinwiki? Christmas came early.
Right 😁🙏🔥✊
Damn it I was just gona say that
And so did I
Seriously, a 20 min video these videos are long enough as it is let alone a 20 min video and YES I'm a diehard vehicle loyalist FORD IS MY FAVORITE COMPANY and if I had noticed that car was running on formula 1 tires I'd have been BEYOND PISSED IF THAT WAS ME WHO NOTICED THAT I'D KNOW FOR SURE MY WHOLE CAREER WAS DOWN THE DRAIN,IF I WAS THE GUY WHO BROUGHT ALL THOSE TIRES OVER TO LEMANS 😤🤬..!!
This guy tells stories beautifully. I could listen to him read the phone book.
Happy Wednesday everyone! This might be the best car we have ever run. What do you think?
VINwiki Best “historical” type car story I’ve heard in a loooong time. Goofy weird personal experiences are fun but keeping these stories alive is so important. Good work!
It's an excellent story, and John Ficarra is an excellent storyteller. Thanks for sharing!
I could listen to him do this all damned day. Thanks y'all
If VinWiki could get John with James May to talk LeMans, what an epic tale they could weave!
Gave me goose bumps. I agree.
I was just glued to my screen the whole time. Even almost cried a little. What a great story told by an awesome storyteller!
Wow. One of the best stories I've ever heard anywhere. It's a video you don't pause while you watch it and you're sitting on the edge of your seat listening to the story. A "THANK YOU" is not enough but THANK YOU!
Fascinating. It so happens that during the 1964/65 school year I was an exchange student at Lycée Jean Charcot in St Servan (St Malo) and I got to go to this race. In fact, it's the only full-fledged auto race I have ever attended. I had fun overnight wandering around behind the pits talking with people and trying to pick up girls (fail). Eventually, I worked my way around to the Ford HQ pit. I introduced myself to the security guard at the bottom of the steps leading up to the 'luxury' box above the pit area. He was an American from the Midwest somewhere, and when I said I was an exchange student he immediately asked me if I could speak French, which I could quite well by that time. He gave me some guy's name and told me to introduce myself and say I could speak French. So I went up, found the guy, who was kind of frazzled (it was about 3AM and he was really wasted-- there was a full bar). Immediately I was pressed into service translating for some French businessmen and the Ford dudes. I did this for several hours, until after dawn. Meanwhile, I had a huge meal of French and American delicacies and tons to drink, which made my French more colorful. What stick in my mind almost 60 years later are the five or six really, really beautiful girls hanging around, completely bored out of their brains. They were there for the entertainment of the Ford execs, but even I could tell something was amiss, and the last thing those guys were interested in was playing around with young ladies. One of them even put a move on me, which the sixteen year old me thought was amusing, but also threatening, and I didn't get involved. Finally a Ford person who spoke decent French showed and I was released.
How he mentions everyone's feelings and the way he describes the little side stories is unbelievable. An amazingly talented storyteller!
I will admit, up until now, I had no idea he was such a good story teller. He could absolutely do these tales for a podcast.
John is the best storyteller, and Ed didn’t have to do any editing. That’s just the way John told it.
And, in addition to his passion for the subject matter, the guy's a tremendous public speaker. Twenty minutes, and not a single "Umm"! 😧
Ficarra is a great story teller. I'm an old guy, and I remember, when I was a kid, listening to old timers, many, who were born in the late 1800's, tell stories. Ficarra's storytelling style reminded me of their "Old School" storytelling. Storytelling was an important art in the olden days, because there wasn't any TV, radio, Internet, or any other "On Demand" entertainment. People would actually ask good story tellers to tell them the story, even when they'd already heard it a half dozen times over the years. My grandfather was in the Spanish American War in Cuba, and My dad remembered people coming up to Grandfather Vance in the 1930's and asking him, "Tell us about Cuba again Vance!". Storytelling was an integral part of entertainment back then. Like many talents, you either have it, or you don't. There may be many potentially great storytellers out there, but in the last 50 years, people are so busy thinking about what else; they could be doing, that they don't have the patience to sit down and listen, instead exclaiming, "Get to the point", "I've already heard this", or "I don't have time", so the demand for great storytelling, at least at the family and friends level, went away. In the old days, everyone had at least one good storyteller in their clique.
🇺🇸🤗🐝🐝🐝
Ive watched this video no joke about 40 times since it came out and i never get tired of it.
It will be good to maybe pass this to our grandkids/Children to keep the spirit of Racing alive through these amazing stories.
And YOU, Mr. Ficarra, did total justice to "one of the greatest racing stories ever" -- and then some!
One of the greatest stories ever, indeed. Thank you for sharing this little piece of history.
I LOVE the format of these videos! Refined, simple, pure story, pure car. No music, no dramatic editing. Real, genuine car stories. Thank you!
Reminds me of the MTV Unplugged days.....man I miss those.
Mid 60's LeMans stories keep coming. This period of racing was so fascinating and fun, so much less organized than the tightly managed events today, and way more characters in play. I think one of the great things about endurance racing, and Le Mans specifically, is the ability of a car to finish and how that effects the racing. Hats of to John, I've been a racing fan since I was a kid in the 60's and so glad he has interest and knowledge of racing at that time. HIs Whittington Bros story was what got me hooked on VINwiki!
This video could literally be a short-story Audiobook. So well told and researched, like he coordinated the entire thing himself.
More of John please. His stories and the way he tells them (chefs kiss)
First time I have never skipped through a video. A 20 minute video too! Goes to show how great of a story/storyteller this is.
Editing software.
Not only a great story in motor racing history but a GREAT story teller. 👍👍
That genuinely did not feel like 20 minutes. That was all an extremely interesting watch.
This guy is a great story teller. I could listen to him talk about paint drying!
Ed, Rabbit and Ficarra. Dead heat at the top. They all tell great, great stories. Thanks VINwiki for all the excellent slices of car history. Y'all rock.
Greatest story i have ever heard from a guy wearing a '"I LOVE BINGO" hat!!!
bill nalder I thought he was a Beatles fan. Eyes are going bad
Ficarra is a great story teller. I'm an old guy, and I remember, when I was a kid, listening to old timers, many, who were born in the late 1800's, tell stories. Ficarra's storytelling style reminded me of their "Old School" storytelling. Storytelling was an important art in the olden days, because there wasn't any TV, radio, Internet, or any other "On Demand" entertainment. People would actually ask good story tellers to tell them the story, even when they'd already heard it a half dozen times over the years. My grandfather was in the Spanish American War in Cuba, and My dad remembered people coming up to Grandfather Vance in the 1930's and asking him, "Tell us about Cuba again Vance!". Storytelling was an integral part of entertainment back then. Like many talents, you either have it, or you don't. There may be many potentially great storytellers out there, but in the last 50 years, people are so busy thinking about what else; they could be doing, that they don't have the patience to sit down and listen, instead exclaiming, "Get to the point", "I've already heard this", or "I don't have time", so the demand for great storytelling, at least at the family and friends level, went away. In the old days, everyone had at least one good storyteller in their clique.
Best radio voice I’ve heard in years. Absolute pleasure to listen.
This was best ever....my lunch at work...opened TH-cam and saw the name of video. WHOA...Could almost feel the heat off the screen and smell of gas with hot rubber...Thank you guys for what you do , this was a historic tale to share. Now I'll forward it to all my gear head friends because they have to see it
As a Rindt fan I knew something of this race but nothing like the detail you have given here! Great story well told.
"We need you to drive again!"
"Alright, but I'm going to DRIVE this time"
I wonder why I never got history lessons like this at school... Would have kept me in class.
Same reason drama classes weren't taught by major Broadway Tony winning actors. There just aren't enough excellent people to lead all of our classrooms. Just the way the world works. Same reason bureaucracies always suck. Not enough smart passionate people in the world. Mostly drones just trying to get along ...
One of the best stories ever. Just excellent.
This may be the best episode you have ever done. Definitely the best I have seen. An interesting story told in a great fashion. Not some braggart talking about their own acquisitions. Bravo.
ATS did indeed produce a cute little car. It was one of the first mid-engine sportscars, with a bespoke 2.5 litre V-8 in front of the rear axle. Coachwork was built by Allemano and designed by Franco Scaglione, who later designed the almost impossibly beautiful Alfa-Romeo 33 Stradale. ATS also produced a Formula 1 car which, sadly, was not successful. Only 12 ATS 2500 GTs were made before production stopped, and are rather pricey on the rare occasions when they come up at auction. In spite of the F1 project's failure, the 2500 GT is a well-regarded little car. I wouldn't mind having one at all.
Thank you for this excellent video, it's quite a story.
ficarras a great story teller, and told an amazing story to boot
I just love, love, love this story. There's virtually no way to discover and uncover all the details that make up this story during a typical internet search - you'd almost have to know what happened before you could search for the facts again. Sure, parts of this story exist as discrete stories, but when you put it all together like John has, it truly adds so much colorful context to the Ford vs Ferrari saga. It even prompted me to do some research on this car's racing record, which was a little better, in my opinion, than John implied. It may have been an underdog and not meant to be a front running car, but I'd say it had a very respectable career racing record, even aside from the overall win at Le Mans. It was only raced 6 times, and only at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona. Most other 250 LMs were entered in less prestigious races and had shorter careers, but this particular Ferrari was still racing in 1969 (8th that year at Le Mans) and 1970 (7th that year at Daytona). Sure, it never placed in the top 3 again after that win in 1965, but for a 4+ year old car to post 7th and 8th places finishes in the greatest endurance races in the world is testament to just how special this particular chassis number was. And John is such a great story teller. I find myself often putting this story on as I'm driving back to the North Bay from Tahoe on Sunday evenings. I don't know why I put it on at night, and why I only do it when I'm coming home, but I never get tired of hearing this story. Thanks for such a great story - keep 'em coming!
It's Ficarra, so be ready for this to hit a million in record time
I'm doing a painting of that very car at that very race. Your video will help me put the emotion of the event into the finished piece. Thanks for the inspiration.
Fantastic episode adds to the mystique of 1960's LeMans 24 Hr. Thanks!
Then fast forward to 2023 and Ferrari won Le Man in the Ferrari 499P. 50 years after their last win. It was also the 100th running of the race. what a moment in motorsport history. Just like this amazing story. thank you for sharing it.
since my last post Ferrari has now won back to back LM 24hrs by winning the 2024 race as well. In the amazing 499P
John has now done one of the BEST Vinwiki stories yet. What a terrific storyteller.
One of the best racing stories I have ever heard...simply epic
Listening to behind the scenes details and tales of legendary laps with automotive giants is my idea of a GOOD time.
This has to be THE BEST Le Mans story told, and its all due to Mr Ficarra's descriptive & masterful eloquent story-telling. His enthusiasm and passion for automotive sport history is a true credit to your team. Will happily listen to this guy talk about anything. Id listen to him describe a dentist performing a root canal. Love seeing this quality of story-telling and factual automotive history narration. John, PLEASE do an audiobook about moments in auto racing history. Love your form mate! 🤙💯 Bloody beautiful low-down on LM shenanigans. Best vid I've seen in months. Vin Wiki, you've just won a new subscriber. Keep it coming 👌🏼
Hands down the best story that i have ever watched here, just amazing
I think these stories should always be told by people that love cars as much as this gentleman does. It adds something to it, something intangible but so powerful, so compelling.
Best car story ever. Just brilliant - watched it three times this week
This is an exceptional tale, told extreamly well. Can we have more racing stories from back in the day pls!!
I can't believe Ficarra "casually" just gave a historical lecture of Ferrari's last Le Mans win with his Bingo hat, t-shirt, shorts and Chuck Taylor sneakers. Vinwiki, good job getting John, don't let him go!
You mean "Chuck Taylor" sneakers.
@@sparky6086 thanks , fixed👍🏼
@@8kigana No problem. Sorry to be nitpicky. It's the engineer in me.
Ficarra is a great story teller. I'm an old guy, and I remember, when I was a kid, listening to old timers, many, who were born in the late 1800's, tell stories. Ficarra's storytelling style reminded me of their "Old School" storytelling. Storytelling was an important art in the olden days, because there wasn't any TV, radio, Internet, or any other "On Demand" entertainment. People would actually ask good story tellers to tell them the story, even when they'd already heard it a half dozen times over the years. My grandfather was in the Spanish American War in Cuba, and My dad remembered people coming up to Grandfather Vance in the 1930's and asking him, "Tell us about Cuba again Vance!". Storytelling was an integral part of entertainment back then. Like many talents, you either have it, or you don't. There may be many potentially great storytellers out there, but in the last 50 years, people are so busy thinking about what else; they could be doing, that they don't have the patience to sit down and listen, instead exclaiming, "Get to the point", "I've already heard this", or "I don't have time", so the demand for great storytelling, at least at the family and friends level, went away. In the old days, everyone had at least one good storyteller in their clique.
@@sparky6086 🤦🏽♂️ glad you caught that, I appreciate people calling me on my mistakes rather than finding out later and wondering why nobody noticed. Good points on story telling. By the way ,I had a pair of Taylors as a kid in the 70's , I must have liked watching The Rifleman over my shoes 😉, have a great weekend sir.
That, my MAN, was the very best LeMans story ever. Put together superbly, just the correct pics at the right time... almost a video. Congrats.
Wow, what a story. This is definitely one of my favourite VINwiki car stories ever!
Haha! I saw the NART 250LM at the Indy 500 museum in the early 90s! I was floored since I had never seen one in real life before but had fallen in love with the design from my 1/25 scale diecast version.. So glad to hear it's been restored!
This is absolutely the finest video you have ever released. Well done!
The noise he made perfectly imitated that engine
Yes, it was quite spectacular!
I love Le Mans history! This was amazing. Thank you
One of the best car stories that I have ever heard. The description of the race and its behind the scenes rivalries to the engine firing up after decades of sitting unused captured my attention and made me yearn to hear that engine come to life once again.
This has got to be the best video on vinwiki EVER! I LOVED this, what a brilliant wee car
I had to add one more comment- your description of the Ferrari's V-12 firing up in the shop for the first time in decades was awesome and somehow very moving. That must've been a breathtaking moment. It's good to see the car getting the love it deserves after all this time.
Now that's a story (or several super cool ones within one).
Far better than the "I found some clothes in my truck once, so here's some total guesses on how that happened, lol" one the other day, it has to be said.
Best story to date. Thank you for posting it.
I feel lucky to have heard this story, and one about the 6 wheeled Tyrrell at a Canepa Cars & Coffee a few years ago. This guy's the man.
I've watch this video several times. Each time it gets better. Wonderful wonderful story... Awesome storyteller.
Great story! Been watching VINwiki daily since the beginning and I was getting a little worried with some of the latest stories in that maybe the barrel was getting scraped, but you've brought it back again with this one, we need more from John!!
Alone at home, having some beer... listening to these stories
Im never alone... Beer keeps me company. :)
Me time......
He is a fabulous story teller. Good tale, well told.
Well done! I remember the day. Thanks for bringing it back!
Best Wiki ever.Thank you. LeMans fans should look up Duncan Hamiltons story.
Hamilton famously won the 1953 event in a Jaguar C-Type shared with Rolt. Initially, the pairing were disqualified for practising in a Jaguar that had the same racing number as another on the circuit at the same time, but they were reinstated. Hamilton's account has become a motor racing legend: when Jaguar team manager Lofty England persuaded the organisers to let them race, both drivers were already drunk in a local bar. England said: ”Of course I would never have let them race under the influence. I had enough trouble when they were sober!” When the race was under way the team tried to sober Hamilton up by giving him coffee during the pit stops but he refused it, saying it made his arms twitch; instead he was given brandy. The alcohol must have helped when he struck a bird face first at 130 mph and broke his nose. It is wonder how the pair managed to drive at all but more wondrous still is that the pair won. What’s more, they recorded the first 100 mph average speed at Le Mans, winning at a record pace! Both England and Rolt have denied that they were drunk.
The ’53 Le Mans story did not end there, as Hamilton drove to Oporto to prepare for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Held on the Circuito da Boavista, he was leading into the first corner of the race, when he crashed his Jaguar, heavily into an electricity pylon. The Jaguar cartwheeled, throwing him out of the car and into a tree. He hung there for about a minute, before falling down on the side of the circuit. Barely conscious, he moved his legs just as a Ferrari raced by, nearly taking Hamilton’s left boot with it! He had to be taken to hospital for an emergency operation. The medical facilities did not extend to anaesthetic, and as the surgeon leant over him, Duncan was mesmerised by the increasing length of cigarette ash, as it hovered above his open chest cavity. The accident cut off the power supply to Oporto for several hours.
On one occasion in 1947, he was transporting his MG R-type to the Brighton Speed Trials, when going down a hill near Guildford, he ”saw the splendid honeycomb radiator of a Bugatti in the outside rear-view mirror” , so he moved over and waved it past. But the car hung back. Further down the hill, the Bugatti accelerated and drew level with Hamilton, at which point he saw there was no one in it: ”The awful truth dawned on me - it was my own car, gathering speed fast.” Duncan had forgotten he was towing the Bugatti, and the story ends with a lamppost snapped in two.
Hamilton was the epitome of the old school English competitor. He, and many of his contemporaries, such as Hawthorn, Rolt and Peter Collins, raced first and foremost for the love of the sport. True gentlemen drivers, their preparation and training consisted largely of wine, women and song.
Your enthusiasm when you made the sound of the engine snarling back to life, I connected with that.
I love it when cars sound as visceral as the old race cars.
This guy is a close 2nd to Rabbit as my favorite. This is a video I will watch over and over again, I love 250 LMs anyway, but this really did it for me
That was an incredible presentation, what a story, but the delivery was perfect, I ate up every second of it. Thanks
John is my favorite storyteller by far, love this guy!
As long time racing fan, it’s hard for me to believe that this story hasn’t come out much sooner. This is certainly one of the greatest racing stories I’ve ever heard, and beautifully told as well. Thanks very much!
Love it when John is in, great story teller
These are the stories I love to listen to, good job on this one.
What an awesome story! I respect that driver for not backing down!
Great story . I watched Ford v Ferrari today and I loved it.
Amazing story, INCREDIBLE story teller.
That was an incredible story, thanks for sharing John!
Can't decide what is better, the story or the storyteller!
love these stories on forgotten cars and car history
This dude...IS SOLID!
I cant even IMAGINE how he knows.. or the depth of what he knows...
I just know he was at CANEPA, thats enough for me, *drools* over 959.
This was the coolest VINwiki video I have ever seen. The gentleman's storytelling style was superb and a true joy to listen to. Thanks for the video, entertainment and education as I wasn't born until 1966.
Clicked on this thinking I wouldn't give a crap. Hung on every last word. Great storytelling!!! When someone really knows and loves their history, you're in a for a treat!
Just found this channel about a week ago with John telling the Top Gear story. Since then I have watched hundreds of your videos. This is an awesome channel with some awesome car guys. 👍
Damn unexpected 20 minutes of glory today! Thanks for telling another awesome story John!
This guy is a gift to motorsports history. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable on the subject and have been following F1 and LeMans since the early 60's. I even flew to France in 1971 to see the Monaco Grand Prix, but I had never heard this story before. I just subscribed. Thank you, sir, for a fascinating story.
Oh man, what a great story. Thank you for this! This dude can tell a story.
Sir, you are every bit as enjoyable to listen to as a story teller as James May is. That is one hell of a compliment and accomplishment.👍